Spanish Geothermal Assocation GEOENERGIA launched to promote geothermal in Spain

Margarita de Gregorio, Celestino GN, Carmen López, Paloma Pérez, Ana M Lancha, Iñigo Arrizabalaga at the GEOPLAT Assembly event (source: GEOPLAT)

The first Spanish Geothermal Association, GEOENERGIA, has officially been launched as a spin-off of GEOPLAT, the Spanish Technology and Innovation Platform in Geothermal Energy. Born with the mission of being the voice of the geothermal sector in Spain, GEOENERGIA will work for the development of the entire sector by advocating for a regulatory, political, and social framework that favors the sustainable implementation of geothermal energy in the territories, creating industry and providing environmental and socioeconomic value.

Margarita de Gregorio, general secretary of GEOPLAT and CEO of GEONERGÍA, announced this new vehicle that has arisen from the need for a business association in Spain that brings together the private sector and defends its interests in the regulatory and market spheres. Along these lines, De Gregorio stated that one of the priorities of GEONERGÍA is to create regulatory and political proposals and strategies that promote the development of the geothermal sector, spread knowledge about geothermal, facilitate market intelligence, and enhance visibility of the agents that operate in this sector.

The organization hopes to established synergies and alliances within the sector, thus stimulating advancements and making information available for strategic decision making.

Support from public agencies

The launch of GEONERGÍA was done at the Institute for Energy Diversification and Saving (IDAE), an institution attached to the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge. IDAE General Director Joan Groizard expressed support for the initiative during the event, saying that geothermal energy is in an “exciting stage” and the maturity and knowledge of GEOPLAT will play a big role in its continued promotion in Spain.

Ana Maria Lancha, Head of the Energy Area at the State Research Agency (AEI) attached to the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities also echoed this sentiment, saying that state supports currently exists to promote knowledge transfer and collaboration for the development of geothermal energy.

Paloma Pérez, coordinator of GEOPLAT, presented the Platform’s new action plan that will bring together all public-private agents that operate in the field of R&D&I in the geothermal sector.

GEOPLAT and GEOENERGÍA will be integrated into the Red Geotérmica Estatal (State Geothermal Network), which will connect all public-private agents in the geothermal sector. The Network will increase the visibility of the sector through Geo MApp, the largest visual database of entities in the field of geothermal energy in Spain, which has public access.

Keys to development energy in Spain

The GEOPLAT Assembly was also a key event for the participation of professionals and experts from the geothermal sector, who offered their vision on the development opportunities of geothermal energy in the country.

In the round table ‘Research, innovation and training in geothermal energy, keys to its development’, Paula Fernández-Canteli Álvarez (Geological and Mining Institute of Spain – IGME), Celestino García de la Noceda (IGME), Ignasi Herms (Institut Cartogràfic i Geològic de Catalunya) and Perla Piña-Varas (Department of Earth and Ocean Sciences of the University of Barcelona) analyzed the inflection point that geothermal energy is experiencing. They stressed the need to innovate, for public-private collaboration and to have more data about the sector, its capabilities and the projects carried out financed by public funds.

Alfredo Garzón Gómez (General Subdirectorate of Energy Efficiency of MITERD) and Carmen López Ocón (Department of Geothermal Energy of IDAE) addressed ‘Geothermal energy, energy and efficiency’ in the Public Administrations panel. Those responsible assumed the importance of the principle of technological neutrality and of not creating barriers to energies such as geothermal, with great qualities for the remodeling and new construction of buildings.

The roundtable ‘Present and future of geothermal’ was attended by sector professionals Álvaro Arnáiz (Repsol), Iñigo Arrizabalaga (TELUR), Javier Caballero (HUNOSA) and Alberto Ferradás García (Ecoforest). They highlighted the excellent prospects and major challenges facing the geothermal business sector.

The event closed with a tribute to Celestino García de la Noceda, for his retirement from the Geological and Mining Institute of Spain (IGME), who was named Honorary President of GEOPLAT for his outstanding professional career, contribution to the Platform from his beginnings and its commitment to the development of the geothermal sector in Spain.

Source: Email correspondence